Rotary valve furnace



June 9, 1931. SANDERS 1,809,727

ROTARY VALVE FURNACE Filed Aug. 12. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 9, 1931.; A R 1,809,727

ROTflRY VALVE FURNACE Filed Aug. 12. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 dttouuqa Patented June 1 9 1931 UNI-TEDFIFSTTATES wrnnun E. SANDERS, on MUSCIEINDIANA, ASSIGNOR To GENERAL orons CORPORA- v PA-TENT OFFICE V j'rIoN, on nn'rnorn MICHIGAN, A oonronazrron on DELAWARE ROTARY vnLvE FURNACE v Application filed Afigusr 12, 1929. Seria1No.38 5,133.

This invention relates to the treatment of metals and particularly to an improvement in apparatus for acting on a bar of stock to bring it in proper condition for a forming operation. The apparatus constituting the present subject matter was especially -designed for use in the manufacture of poppet valves of the type employed ininternal combustion'engines and for convenience of dis closure, the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to such use, although it may be employed for other purposes, as will be obvious. j

Poppet valves comprising a head and a stem may be made according to dlfferent methods, but the method with which this invention is concerned consists of bringing one end of a bar or rod of suitable stock, out to predetermined size,'to a desired heat for the proper working, and then sub ectmg the heated end to pressure to upset or form a button or head onthe portion that was not exposed to the heat. To provide an improved furnace construction for heating the bar stock prior to the upsetting operation is one of the primary-objects of the present invention. I 1 A further object is to provide an improved type of furnace structure which will be more or less automatic in the operation and into which the stock may be introduced, carried through and then dischargedat the end' of" the treatment in condition for the action thereon of a bulldozer or press. I j

Another and important object of the invention is to provide a fcooling-sy'stem for maintaining cold that portion of the stock which will'later be the stem offthe valve and which is not to be upset." i

Other objects and features will become apparent in the course. of the following specification when taken incon nection' with the accompanying drawings,"

illustrating a preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

In'the drawings a Fig. 1 is a top plan view of thefurnace forming the present subject matter with parts broken away and shown in section. Fig. .2 is a sectional view take'n oniline the furnace, to constitute a heat seal.

of advantage 2 2 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is detail sectional viewt-akenon line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the reference characters 11'indicate anumber of I-beam sections making up a supporting frame for the furnace structure, and 2 indicates an annular furnace constructed .7 of fire brick or other suitable refractory material and providing a circular heating chamber 3. The

bottom wall of the heating chamber consists of a-hollow rotor or conveyor lpreferably made by joining two concave. rings of mate rial such asboiler plate, edge to edge, havingits topsurface covered by suitable refractory material 5, and provided with a series of cylindrical sleeves or locators 6 extending therethrough and affording anum ber ofvertical openings-to receive the rods or stock,"indicated-' at 7,'to be treated. The

rotor is supported by a ring-8 which also supports an annular trough'l9 carrying sand or the like, and into which projects the flange 10 of'a ring of T-shape in section carried on the under sideof the innermost wall if t suitable intervals the ring 8 is provided with a series ofdependent L-shaped legs or feet 12 preferably supported resiliently, as by means of hold-down bolts 13 and coil springs 14;, upon a ring or carrier 15. The carrier 15 rests upon andyis rotated by a number of drive wheels or r0lls,onl y two of which are shown in the drawings. Theroll 17 is keyed or fixed on the shaft 18 supported in suitablebearings upon the framing and has keyed at one end the bevel gear 19 for drivon' a 'verticalshaft 21," while the-roll 22 is fixed on a shaft 23 and driven by a bevel gear 28'meshing with thering gear 20. At the opposite end of the shaft 18 suitable drive mechanism therefor is provided, which may behoused in the-casings 26. and operated mg engagement with aring gear 20 pivoted from any convenient source ofpower, whereby the rotor or conveyor a is continuously ope-rated counter-clockwise through the furnace to carry the bar stock therethrough;

-The' lower end of each barrests upon and is suppoited by a ring or skid 3O adjustably supported as through set screws 31 by frame brackets 32, whereby upon adjustment of the set screws the ring may be raised or lowered to expose a predetermined length of the upper portion of the bar to the heat of the furnace chamber. At one portion of its extent the skid may be cut away or provided with an opening 33 through which the. bars may drop when they are brought over the opening by the conveyor, into a trou h or chute 34, preferably leading tothe bl llfilOZer or upsetting machine. Located just beyond the discharge point is a loading platform.

where the bars may be inserted either'auto matically or by hand into the Sleeves 60f the conveyor. At the loading platform the furnace chamber is closed by the walls 36 and 37 ofsuitable refractory material, the wall 37 having a slot or opening 38 for the passageof the upper, portion of the bar into the heating chamber.

Heat may be suppliedto the furnace chamher in any of a number of ways but it will probably be found preferable'in most in.- stances to employ a series of oil-burningnozzles such as indicated at 40, each in alignment with an, opening or passageway 41 through the outer wall of the furnace. For supplying fuel to theburners 40, usemay be made of three rotary blowers 42, 43 and 44.

As shown in the drawings, the blower-42, is

connected through a conduit 45 with amanifold 46, leading to fifteen of theburners 40 supplying substantially one-half, ofrthe, fur? nace chamber with heat, while the blower 43 is connectedzby the conduit 47 and manifold 48 with eight of the burners and the blower 44 is connected by the conduit 49 and manifold 50 with seven of'the burners, the last two blowers supplying fuel to heat, that portion of. the furnace chamberthrough which the stock moves as it nears, the end; of; its treatment in thefurnace. It will be noted, therefore, that the greater portion of the heat will be supplied to the bar after it,has covered substantially halfits travel through the fur nace andthat the application of heat at. the entrance is gradual.

'Alongthe' axis of turning movement of the rotary conveyor 4 are located two ver- 3 tically extending concentricpipes 54 and 55 carried by and rotatable withtheconveyor, the pipe 54 being connected by a flexible joint 56 with a conduit 57 leading fromasuitable source of water orother cooling medium under pressure andbeing connected at. its lower end by the radially extending conduit. 58 with the interior of the. hollow conveyor, while the bottom of the otherpipe 55 isplaced in communication with the hollow. conveyor at another point through the conduit; 59. This allows circulationofthe cooling water. suppliedunder pressure, throughthe hollow. conveyor, to maintain thelower portion of the stock outside the heating chamber relatively cool while the upper portion. is being heated for the upsetting operation. The cooling fluid that returns to the outermost pipe 55 rises therein and overflows at its top into a tank or tub 60 having a discharge pipe 61 leading to a sewer or other suitable place of disposal. Because of the relative movement between the rotary pipe 55 and stationary overflow tank 60, the bottom of the overflow tank is provided with an upstandin tubular wall 62 surrounding the pipe 55 an the upper portion of the pipe 55 is flared outwardly and reversely bent as at 63 across and beyond the upper portion of the tube 62.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is provided a construction Whereinheat willbe applied to substantially half; the length of the bar stock or that portion to be upset to form the valve head, and wherein, due to the resistance of the water cooled back of the bottom wall, the heat is evenly distributed over the exposed portion within the furnace chamber, while the part entered into and, below the water back remainscomparatively cold. With this method of-heating, uniform scale is obtained from the heated end of the bar to the end of heat.

Although the foregoin description has been more or less specific, the invention is not limited to the exact details referred to, and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made as come within the scope of appended claims.

I claim:

1. Heat treating apparatus including a chamheredfurnace, amovable conveyor for carrying articles through the furnace and constituting one wall of the furnace chamber, and; embodying refrigerating means so arranged that portions of the articlepositioned adjacent theretoare maintained cool while other portions extending into the furnace are heated.

2. Heat. treating. apparatus, including a chambered furnace, a chambered conveyor device movable through the furnace chamber, and adaptedto carry an article so that aportion projects into the furnace chamber and means to circulate cooling fluid through said chambered device for maintaining cool that portion of'the article adjacent thereto.

3. Heat treating apparatus, including a chambered furnace, a conveyor movable through the furnace chamber and having therein a passageway for cooling medium, a skid for. supporting an article to be treated that extends loosely through an opening in the conveyor.v and therebeyond into the furnace chamber, and means, to introduce cooling medium into i the passageway in saidconveyor for maintaining relatively cool the portion of the article outside the furnace chamber.

4 Heat treating apparatus, including an annular, chambered furnace, a rotary hollow conveyor movable, through the furnace cham her and havingaseries ofvertical openings therein for the projection therethroughof articles to be treated, an annular stationary skid below the conveyor with whichthe lower portions of the articles have sliding engage ment and by which they are supported so that their upper portions extend above the conveyor and into the furnace chamber, means for circulating cooling medium through the hollow conveyor to maintain the lower portions of the articles relatively cool, and adjustable means for regulating the height of the skid to subject predetermined portions of the articles to the heat treatment.

5. In addition to the elements of claim 4, a rotatable supporting ring for the conveyor, and resilient connections between the ring and conveyor.

6. The structure of claim 9, wherein the rotary hollow conveyor forms the bottom wall of the furnace chamber and has its upper surface covered with refractory material.

7. Heat treating apparatus, including an annular chambered furnace, a rotary hollow conveyor for carrying articles through the ing tubular portion surrounding the upperportion of the outermost pipe, and a reversely bent annular end portion on said outermost pipe extending across and beyond the top edge of the upstanding tubular portion,

whereby the cooling medium overflows from the outermost rotary pipe into the stationary tub.

9. Heat treating apparatus, including an annular chambered furnace, a rotary hollow conveyor movable through the furnace chamber and having a series of vertical openings therein for the projection therethrough of articles to be treated, an annular stationary skid below the conveyor with which the lower portions of the articles have sliding engage- I ment andby which they are supported so that their upper portions extend above the conveyor and into i the furnace chamber, and means for circulating cooling medium through the hollow conveyor to maintain the lower portions of the articles relatively cool.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

VVILBUR- E. SANDERS. 

